Discrimination suit filed against Microsoft

A 53-year-old Maple Valley woman is suing Microsoft for gender, race and age discrimination.

Nancy Williams said in her lawsuit, filed Monday in King County Superior Court, that she was subjected to discrimination and differential treatment, as well as a hostile work environment based on her gender, race (Hispanic) and age.

Williams, who is currently on medical leave from her job as a software test manager in Microsoft Azure, has been a full-time Microsoft employee since 1996. She joined the Azure group in 2010.

Williams contends in her suit that the workplace environment at Azure, which was dominated by male engineers and a “substantial percentage of whom were foreign born and of East Indian heritage,” was not supportive of women employees. Microsoft was aware of that but put up with it because Azure was a vital part of the company’s business strategy, the lawsuit alleges.

Microsoft said in a statement that the company “provides an environment where all employees have the opportunity to be successful. We take these claims seriously and will address them with the court.”

According to the lawsuit, beginning in March 2012, Williams began reporting to a new boss — a foreign-born man of East Indian descent, who was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Williams’ boss no longer works at Microsoft, though his departure was unrelated to this matter, according to sources close to the situation. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

Williams contends that her boss ignored her during meetings, excluded her from important internal communications related to Azure, was dismissive of her suggestions, and blamed her for situations that were not her responsibility, while treating his male subordinates favorably, according to the lawsuit.

She also questioned her boss, and her boss’s supervisor — both of whom are of East Indian descent — over their awarding of a contract to an Indian company over other companies, the suit says.

In a meeting behind closed doors in her boss’s office in January 2013, her boss “approached Williams, who was seated, and stood over her in very close proximity,” requiring Williams to repeat several times: “You are my manager, I will do as you say,” the lawsuit contends.

Williams said she reported this and other incidents to Microsoft’s human resources department, but was cautioned against filing a formal complaint. After she did so anyway, the investigation into her case lagged while she was on a two-month sabbatical, she said in the suit.

She also said she spoke of her boss’s behavior to his supervisors — also of East Indian descent, according to the lawsuit — but either nothing was done or she was told her complaints would lead to negative discussions about her performance.

Upon returning from her sabbatical, her boss gave her a very low rating in her performance review, and waved his fists in her face, the lawsuit says.

Williams says she suffered panic attacks and her health began to erode.

She is seeking double the amount of her lost salary and bonus and stock awards incurred to date and which will accrue in the future, unspecified additional damages, and costs and attorney’s fees.

She is also asking the court to order an independent audit of Microsoft’s human resources department’s practices and require that every Azure employee get training on discrimination, hostile work environments and retaliation.

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Welcome to Microsoft Pri0: That's Microspeak for top priority, and that's the news and observations you'll find here from Seattle Times technology reporter Matt Day. Send tips or comments to mday@seattletimes.com.